Qatar Sentences 8 Indian Navy Veterans for Espionage: Geopolitical Angle

Chandigarh: While Opposition parties corner the Narendra Modi Government over the issue, observers are sensing more behind the sentence to the eight retired Indian Navy personnel for alleged espionage by a court in Qatar, a country India considers a “friend” and also shares strong trade ties, largely in the area of sourcing natural gas.

In fact, the eight lakh Indians there make them the largest expatriate community in Qatar.

Pointing to Qatar’s support for Palestine, including mediating efforts that led to the release of some captives, the observers believe the quantum of punishment appears to be driven by some hardcore geopolitical messaging.

The timing has led to speculations about a possible connection with the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict and India’s support for Israel after the deadly Hamas attack.

The eight men have been convicted of allegedly spying for Israel.

Qatari authorities have stated that they have electronic evidence in this regard, according to a detailed report in The Tribune today.

The Israel connection
According to some geopolitical experts, maybe Qatar wanted to “embarrass India by showing Indian citizens as Israeli spies. Or could it be that Qatar is worried over India’s growing influence in the Middle East? Another reason could be the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor or maybe the arrested men are a bargaining chip.”